Titans defeat Douglas, 58-3, improve to 3-1

The Tea Area High School football team delivered a commanding performance Friday night, defeating Douglas 58-3 and improving their season record to 3-1. Despite missing their starting quarterback, Brenner Konrad, who suffered a torn ACL in the previous game against Huron, the Titans showed no signs of slowing down. Backup quarterback Dashle Lowery stepped up to the challenge, helping lead the Titans to a 58-3 victory.

Douglas scored an early field goal, but it was the only points they would manage. Tea Area quickly seized control and never looked back. In the first quarter, Lowery connected with Cole McKinney for an eight-yard touchdown, followed by a successful point-after kick from Grifin Wiebenga, giving Tea Area a 7-3 lead.

The second quarter saw an offensive explosion from the Titans. Carter Brown broke free for a 49-yard rushing touchdown, though the point-after attempt was missed, pushing the Titan’s lead to 13-3. Shortly after, McKinney found Riley Svanda for a 13-yard touchdown pass, with Wiebenga’s PAT extending the lead to 20-3.

Lowery continued his strong play with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Svanda, although the extra point was blocked. Tea Area now led 26-3. The Titans kept the pressure on as McKinney sprinted 68 yards for another touchdown, though the point-after attempt was missed again, Tea Area further extended their lead to 32-3.

Before halftime, Riley Svanda returned a punt 41 yards for a touchdown, with the Titans heading into the locker room with a commanding 38-3 lead at the break.

The dominance continued in the second half. In the third quarter, McKinney added a 33-yard rushing touchdown, with Wiebenga tacking on another PAT to make it 45-3. Mitch Grant then took over at quarterback, keeping it himself for a 1-yard touchdown run, and Wiebenga added another extra point, extending the lead to 52-3.

In the final quarter, Grant kept it again for a 31-yard touchdown run, Kiley Pendergast missed the extra point, but the Titans secured a 58-3 victory. 

The Titans racked up 428 yards of total offense, including a staggering 378 yards on the ground and 50 yards through the air. Douglas was held to just 77 total yards—41 rushing and 36 passing.

Lowery was efficient in the air, completing four of five passes for 37 yards and two touchdowns. McKinney also completed his lone pass attempt for 13 yards. Svanda led the receiving corps with two catches for 24 yards, while Sam Werdel contributed two catches for eight yards, and McKinney hauled in one catch for eight yards.

On the ground, McKinney had an outstanding night with 119 yards on just six carries. Carter Brown added 86 yards on seven rushes, while Werdel chipped in with 54 yards on five carries. Other notable contributions came from Mitch Grant (32 yards), Tyler Rhead (22 yards), Parker Wilson (20 yards), and several other players who shared the workload.

Defensively, Lane Kelsey and Hayden Bialas each recorded a sack, and the pair also combined for another sack. Chase DeBoer and Griffin Wiebenga each recovered a fumble. Werdel led the team in tackles with seven, followed by Brown with five. Wilson and Kelsey each contributed four tackles, while Bialas, DeBoer, and Caleb Kuhnert had three apiece.

The Titans will host Mitchell this Friday, Sept. 27 in their Homecoming match-up. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m.